It is a matter of common knowledge that absorbent underpads are usually provided with a moisture-impervious underlayer to prevent patients' excrements or fluids from wetting or soiling the mattress or the fabric upon which the pad is placed, typically, a plastic sheet such as polyethylene or polypropylene. For example, Polygard II, a trademark for underpads sold by Professional Medical Products, Greenwood, N.C., consists of an absorbent pulp layer covered with a moisture-permeable non-woven fabric on one side, and a polypropylene film on the opposite side.
In a typical use, the underpad is placed on top of a patient's bedding with the polypropylene film facing against the bedding. Thus, the absorbent layer serves to absorb the patient's excrements or fluid while the polypropylene film prevents these excrements or fluids from passing through and soiling the bedding material. Such underpads are also used for placing on seats, such as on wheelchair seats, and on examination tables and the like article, and serve a similar function.
One of the difficulties of using such plastic films is that they have low coefficient of friction and, therefore, the underpads tend to slip and slide out of position when the patient moves about in bed or in the seat. Consequently, they fail to protect the bedding or seat underlying surfaces from being soiled.
One solution to this problem is to interpose several such protective underlayers so that at least one or more layer is always covering the mattress. This, however, is an inconvenient solution and furthermore, it is uneconomical.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a non-slip or slip-resistant article such as underpads, disposable diapers and the like.
It is another object of this invention to provide such articles which are especially treated to provide a surface having a high friction coefficient which prevents the article from slipping or sliding relative to the surface upon which it is placed.
It is still another object of this invention to provide non-slipping underpads which serve to prevent patients' excrements or fluids from passing therethrough, and hence it serves to protect the underlying articles being soiled.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more evident from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.